1932-12-07 Detroit, Michigan, USA
Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, making her one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting". She has also received a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award. Burstyn made her acting debut on Broadway in Fair Game in 1957 before winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Same Time, Next Year (1975). She earned the Academy Award for Best Actress as the widow Alice Hyatt in Martin Scorsese's romantic drama Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). Her other Oscar-nominated roles were in The Last Picture Show (1971), The Exorcist (1973), Same Time, Next Year (1978), Resurrection (1980), and Requiem for a Dream (2000). Her other notable films include Harry and Tonto (1974), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), W. (2008), Interstellar (2014), The Age of Adaline (2015), and Pieces of a Woman (2020). She won Primetime Emmy Awards for her guest role in the NBC legal drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2009) and supporting role in the USA Network political miniseries Political Animals (2013). Her other Emmy-nominated roles include Pack of Lies (1988), Mrs. Harris (2005), Big Love (2008), Draft Day, Flowers in the Attic (both 2014), and House of Cards (2016). Since 2000, she has been co-president of the Actors Studio, a drama school in New York City. In 2013, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame for her work onstage.
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Breakdown: 1975 | Self | 2025-12-18 |
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This Ordinary Thing | Self (voice) | 2025-12-05 |
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Duse, the Greatest | 2025-02-03 | |
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E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump | E. Jean Carroll | 2024-10-03 |
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Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist | Self | 2024-03-26 |
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Mother, Couch | Mother | 2024-07-05 |
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The Exorcist: Believer | Chris MacNeil | 2023-10-04 |
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Three Months | Valerie | 2022-02-23 |
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Queen Bees | Helen Wilson | 2021-06-11 |
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Watch on the Rhine | Fanny | 2021-05-13 |
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Paul Newman, derrière les yeux bleus | Herself | 2021-12-04 |
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Delphine et Carole, insoumuses | Self (archive footage) | 2020-01-14 |
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Pieces of a Woman | Elizabeth Weiss | 2020-12-30 |
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Lucy in the Sky | Nana Holbrook | 2019-09-20 |
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Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies | Self | 2019-07-21 |
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The House of Tomorrow | Josephine Prendergast | 2019-06-20 |
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American Woman | Miss Dolly | 2019-09-12 |
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Mr. Skins Favorite Nude Scenes of 1970 | Herself (Archive Footage) | 2018-04-30 |
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Nostalgia | Helen Greer | 2018-02-16 |
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Friedkin Uncut | Self | 2018-11-05 |
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The Tale | Nettie | 2018-01-20 |
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All I Wish | Celia Berges | 2018-02-01 |
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Marilyn Monroe: Auction of a Lifetime | Self | 2017-04-05 |
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Wiener-Dog | Nana | 2016-06-24 |
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Custody | Beatrice Fisher | 2016-04-17 |
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Unity | Narrator (voice) | 2015-08-12 |
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About Scout | Gram | 2015-04-25 |
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The Age of Adaline | Flemming | 2015-04-16 |
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Interstellar | Murph (older) | 2014-11-05 |
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Petals on the Wind | Olivia Foxworth | 2014-05-26 |
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Draft Day | Barb Weaver | 2014-04-11 |
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The Calling | Emily Micallef | 2014-08-05 |
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And the Oscar Goes To... | Self - Interviewee | 2014-02-01 |
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River of Fundament | Hathfertiti | 2014-02-12 |
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Flowers in the Attic | Grandmother | 2014-01-18 |
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La Voie de l‘ennemi | Mère Garnett | 2014-05-07 |
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Wish You Well | Louisa Mae Cardinal | 2013-10-19 |
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Love, Marilyn | Self | 2013-05-30 |
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Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You | Nanette | 2012-02-24 |
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Another Happy Day | Doris Baker | 2011-11-18 |
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The Mighty Macs | Mother St. John | 2011-10-21 |
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America Lost and Found: The BBS Story | Self | 2010-11-23 |
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Reflections of a Philosopher King | Self | 2010-11-23 |
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BBStory: An American Film Renaissance | Self | 2010-11-23 |
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Main Street | Georgiana Carr | 2010-10-21 |
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According to Greta | Katherine | 2009-11-25 |
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PoliWood | Self | 2009-07-03 |
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The Velveteen Rabbit | Swan (voice) | 2009-02-27 |
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Lovely, Still | Mary | 2009-10-03 |
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The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond | Miss Addie | 2008-09-12 |
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W. | Barbara Bush | 2008-10-17 |
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Mitch Albom's For One More Day | Pauline "Posey" Benetto | 2007-12-09 |
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The Stone Angel | Hagar | 2007-09-12 |
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The Elephant King | Diana Hunt | 2006-04-26 |
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Mrs. Harris | Former Tarnower Steady | 2006-02-25 |
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The Fountain | Dr. Lillian Guzetti | 2006-11-22 |
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The Wicker Man | Sister Summersisle | 2006-08-31 |
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Stardust: The Bette Davis Story | Self | 2006-05-03 |
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30 Days | Maura | 2006-10-06 |
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Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow | Self | 2006-06-22 |
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Our Fathers | Mary Ryan | 2005-05-11 |
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The Five People You Meet In Heaven | Ruby | 2004-12-05 |
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The Madam's Family: The Truth About the Canal Street Brothel | Tommie | 2004-10-31 |
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Second Chances: The Making of "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" | Self | 2004-08-24 |
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A Decade Under the Influence | Self | 2003-04-25 |
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Brush with Fate | Rika | 2003-01-01 |
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Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood | Self | 2003-03-09 |
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Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood | Vivi | 2002-06-07 |
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Red Dragon | Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited) | 2002-10-02 |
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Memories, Dreams & Addictions | Self | 2001-05-22 |
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The Making of Requiem for a Dream | Self | 2001-05-22 |
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Within These Walls | Joan Thomas | 2001-08-20 |
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The Yards | Val Handler | 2000-04-27 |
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Mermaid | Trish | 2000-05-21 |
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Requiem for a Dream | Sara Goldfarb | 2000-10-06 |
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Walking Across Egypt | Mattie Rigsbee | 1999-01-01 |
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The Last Picture Show: A Look Back | Self | 1999-04-25 |
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Night Ride Home | Maggie | 1999-02-07 |
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Playing by Heart | Mildred | 1998-12-30 |
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The Patron Saint of Liars | June Clatterbuck | 1998-04-05 |
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You Can Thank Me Later | Shirley Cooperberg | 1998-09-03 |
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Marilyn in Manhattan | Self | 1998-09-05 |
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The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist | Self - Chris MacNeil | 1998-06-13 |
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A Deadly Vision | Yvette Watson | 1997-04-21 |
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Flash | Laura Strong | 1997-12-21 |
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Deceiver | Mook | 1997-08-31 |
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The Spitfire Grill | Hannah Ferguson | 1996-08-23 |
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Timepiece | Maud Gannon | 1996-12-22 |
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Roommates | Judith | 1995-03-03 |
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How to Make an American Quilt | Hy Dodd | 1995-10-06 |
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My Brother's Keeper | Helen | 1995-03-19 |
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The Baby-Sitters Club | Mrs. Haberman | 1995-08-18 |
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Follow The River | Gretel | 1995-04-22 |
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Getting Out | Arlie's Mother | 1994-04-25 |
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Getting Gotti | Jo Giacalone | 1994-05-10 |
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When a Man Loves a Woman | Emily | 1994-04-29 |
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Trick of the Eye | Frances Griffin | 1994-10-22 |
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Roots of Roe | Narrator (voice) | 1993-11-29 |
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Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story | Joan Delvecchio | 1993-09-27 |
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The Cemetery Club | Esther Moskowitz | 1993-02-03 |
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Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story | Wilma | 1992-03-15 |
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When It Was a Game 2 | Passage Narrator (voice) | 1992-07-13 |
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Earth and the American Dream | Reader (voice) | 1992-10-01 |
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Dying Young | Mrs. O'Neil | 1991-06-20 |
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Grand Isle | Mademoiselle Reisz | 1991-08-23 |
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Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love | Lillian "Lil" Lambert | 1991-05-12 |
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Picture This | Self | 1991-09-06 |
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The Color of Evening | Kate O'Rielly | 1990-09-01 |
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When You Remember Me | Nurse Cooder | 1990-10-07 |
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Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre | Self | 1989-06-26 |
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Hello Actors Studio | Self | 1988-11-09 |
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Hanna's War | Katalin | 1988-04-14 |
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Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam | Mrs. Stocks (voice) | 1987-10-01 |
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Pack of Lies | Barbara Jackson | 1987-04-26 |
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Something in Common | Lynn Hollander | 1986-11-02 |
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Act of Vengeance | Margaret Yablonski | 1986-09-04 |
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The Ambassador | Alex Hacker | 1985-01-11 |
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Into Thin Air | Joan Walker | 1985-10-29 |
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Twice in a Lifetime | Kate MacKenzie | 1985-10-23 |
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Surviving | Tina Brogan | 1985-02-10 |
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Night of 100 Stars II | Self | 1985-03-10 |
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Night of 100 Stars | Self | 1982-03-08 |
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I Love Liberty | Self | 1982-03-21 |
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Silence of the North | Olive Frederickson | 1981-10-23 |
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Sois belle et tais-toi ! | Self | 1981-03-04 |
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People vs. Jean Harris | Jean Harris | 1981-05-07 |
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Resurrection | Edna | 1980-09-26 |
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Κραυγή Γυναικών | Brenda Collins | 1978-05-21 |
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Same Time, Next Year | Doris | 1978-04-23 |
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Providence | Sonia Langham | 1977-01-25 |
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The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute | Self (archive footage) | 1974-02-20 |
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Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore | Alice Hyatt | 1974-12-09 |
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Thursday's Game | Lynne Evers | 1974-04-14 |
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Harry and Tonto | Shirley Mallard | 1974-08-12 |
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The Exorcist | Chris MacNeil | 1973-12-26 |
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The King of Marvin Gardens | Sally | 1972-10-13 |
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The Last Picture Show | Lois Farrow | 1971-10-03 |
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Alex in Wonderland | Beth Morrison | 1970-12-22 |
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Tropic of Cancer | Mona (uncredited) | 1970-02-27 |
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Pit Stop | Ellen McCleod | 1969-05-14 |
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Goodbye Charlie | Franny Salzman | 1964-11-18 |
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For Those Who Think Young | Dr. Pauline Swenson | 1964-06-01 |
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Ricochet | Rose Maxon | 1961-10-03 |
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The Christmas Tree | Elizabeth | 1958-12-14 |
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Easy Out? | Mary | 1948-01-01 |
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Place to Be | Brooke | |
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Bathing Flo |
